Georgia Health Sciences University Mace

A mace is a symbol used to communicate and to designateauthority. The era in which the mace came into use isnot known, but the first recorded use was during the MiddleAges when maces, made wholly or partly of metal and oftenspiked, were used for breaking armor. Medieval bishops, whowere forbidden to shed blood, carried maces instead of swords.Gradually, maces became ceremonial and were used symbolicallyas protection for the King. The use of maces extended intoAmerica by the middle of the 18th century and they now areused principally in universities as traditional symbols of theauthority of the President.

The Georgia Health Sciences University mace was designed andcarved in aged walnut wood in June 1984 by Nathan Bindler,Associate Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts and Artist-in-Residenceat Augusta State University.

The head of the mace features Apollo, God of Health. Below it isa rendering of the Old Medical College Building, GHSU’s home for75 years. On the middle of the staff is GHSU’s founding date: 1828.At the base of the mace is the symbol for opposites: yin and yang,health and sickness, joy and grief.

On the reverse side of the mace appears the Aesculapius Staff:the serpent of wisdom. Below the staff is a symbol with five polesrepresenting GHSU’s five colleges: Allied Health Sciences, DentalMedicine, Graduate Studies, Nursing and the Medical Collegeof Georgia. The flowing form of the symbol represents infinity:man’s continual search for answers to the mysteries of sciencethrough research.